General Thoughts
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It is not a question of Technique vs. Training—You MUST pursue both
A stroke will change as a swimmer grows
o There is no “perfect” stroke—there are only well-tailored strokes which
evolve as a swimmer grows
o It makes sense to develop efficiency in strokes, but the type of stroke
efficiency a 10 year old is capable of is very different from that of an 18
year old—so the models we choose should be age- and size-appropriate
Your stroke is like your penmanship—it needs to be legible if not beautiful, but
most if all you need to have something to say
The sport of swimming is a contest of time, not beauty
o “Fitter is Faster”
o If two athletes are equally conditioned and motivated the athlete with
superior skills will win
o If two athletes are equally skilled and motivated, but not equally
conditioned, the better conditioned athlete will win
A x E = S -- Attendance multiplied by Effort equals Success
Principles of Fast Swimming
Increase Propulsion
Reduce Resistance
1) Hips are engine – Rotation (Free &
Back) or Undulation (Fly & Breast)
2) Anchoring – Goal is to “set hands in
concrete” and move body past them
3) Acceleration – “Hard water”; press
back faster so water resists more firmly
4) Sweeping – Avoid sharp motions
5) Equal & opposite reactions – Push back
faster to go forward faster
1) Maintain a long body position – A
longer canoe travels faster and longer
2) Keep your balance – Side to Side and
Front to Back
3) Expose the smallest overall surface area
to the water – Swim in a tube
4) Eliminate wave drag – Remove excess
up and down and/or side to side motions
5) Alignment – Head, Heart, Hips, Heels
Long Axis Strokes – Rotation of the body occurs along an imaginary line from head to toe
Freestyle—Body
 Posture – Proper land posture is also proper water posture.
 Rotation – The hips rotate enough to “load” the core muscle of the abdomen then shift back the
other way as the anchored hand is leveraged with all the muscles in the torso; the breath occurs
at the of the rotation; repeat on the other side.
Freestyle—Legs
 Kick – The legs are the foundation of the modern freestyle stroke. Constant kicking with straight
legs (not rigid) and floppy feet is required; nothing except the flipturn should stop the feet from
kicking from the start to the finish of the race.
Freestyle—Arms
 Entry – Fingertips of Thumb, Index, and Middle fingers enter the water first, which leads to a high
elbow position as the entire hand enters the water.
 Catch – As the hand reaches maximum extension the shoulder rolls forward creating the “Early
Vertical Forearm” position characteristic of modern freestyle.
 Press – The hand and forearm press backwards towards the feet as a unit (almost as if the wrist
did not exist); the press should accelerate straight back with the fingertips continuously pointing
towards the bottom of the pool.
 Finish – As the hand finishes press it exits that water beside the hip bone.
 Recovery – The arms should bend and remain as relaxed as possible; the next pull does not
begin until the elbow of the recovering arm is over the swimmers ear.
Freestyle—Breathing
 Breathe with the hip – The breath occurs near the end of the pull as part of the hip turning. If it is
done properly one goggle should stay immersed and the head should create a trough around the
mouth in which the breath takes place.
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Backstroke—Body
 Posture – The body should be aligned in a very slight downward curve so that is present a hulllike frontal surface to the water.
 Rotation – The hips rotate enough to “load” the core muscle of the abdomen then shift back the
other way as the anchored hand is leveraged with all the muscles in the torso; the breath occurs
at the of the rotation; repeat on the other side. This is essentially the same motion as freestyle.
Backstroke—Legs
 Kick – The feet should boil the surface of the water. The kick should be done with relatively
straight legs (not rigid) so that the strong muscles of the upper leg and hips are engaged; nothing
except the flipturn should stop the feet from kicking from the start to the finish of the race.
Backstroke—Arms
 Entry – Karate chop hands into water; maintain mechanical advantage gained by straight arm
recovery.
 Catch – Let the hand (with a straight wrist!) sink well below the surface by rotating hips and then
rotate shoulder forward (adduction) into high elbow (very similar to freestyle).
 Press – Sweep hand backwards; let it travel in an “S” pattern towards the feet which is drawn by
the large general rotation of the hips, not the small specific motion of the hands; this will ensure
the power is coming from the hips, not from the arms only.
 Finish – At the end of the underwater press the thumb comes out of the water first.
 Recovery – The arm comes straight over the body (not around sideways), stays straight as the
shoulder lifts, and enters the while still straight (not bending as it enters the water).
Backstroke—Breathing
 The breath occurs naturally, sometimes in rhythm with the arms (in on one stroke and out on
another) and sometimes haphazardly, but should always be a full inhalation and exhalation.
Short Axis Strokes – Rotation of the body occurs across an imaginary line from hip to hip
Butterfly—Body
 Posture – The body moves from a neutral, level floating position to a chest-forward, convex
propulsive position, back to a neutral position, to a concave recovery/breathing position and then
starts the cycle over again.
 Rotation – The body should “teeter-totter” back and forth in the water, constantly aiming to shift
weight forward and down by pressing on the lungs and “swimming downhill.”
Butterfly—Legs
 Kick – The feet are turned inward slightly so that toes closer together than the knees during the
downward kick. Two kick occur during each stroke cycle: first when the hands make the catch,
and second when the hands come together under the body near the navel.
Butterfly—Arms
 Entry – Hands enter the water with the thumbs and index finger first, setting up the high elbow
position
 Catch – As the hands sink under the surface at shoulder width, the shoulders rotate forward into
a strong high elbow position
 Press – Push backwards as if pushing against the deck to get up out of the pool and let the hands
sweep in so they almost meet at the belly button
 Finish – Press hands back and around the hips with pinkies leaving the water first
 Recovery – Swing the hands around wide, close to the surface; arms should not be lifted over the
water from the elbows, but flung around as if reacting to the push underwater
Butterfly—Breathing
 The breath occurs when the hands are coming together under the body and the second kick
occurs. The chin should be pushed forward, not up, so that the face seems to be surfing on the
water. No part of the throat or chest should be visible out of the water.
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Breaststroke—Body
 Posture – The body moves from a neutral, level floating position to a chest-forward, convex
propulsive position, back to a neutral position, to a concave recovery/breathing position and then
starts the cycle over again.
 Rotation – The body should “teeter-totter” back and forth in the water, constantly aiming to shift
weight forward by lowering the head and pressing on the lungs.
Breaststroke—Legs
 Kick – As the knees bend from the straight, steamlined position the feet should move toward the
buttocks (rather than the knees moving towards the chest); the lower part of the leg should hide
behind or “stay in the shadow” of the upper part of the leg to reduce resistance. The knees are
held shoulder width apart. As the legs drive backwards to initiate the kick, the feet flare out and
catch the water. The feet whip around and back until the legs are completely straightened and
nearly touching.
Breaststroke—Arms
 Entry – Hands extend fully in front of body in a streamlined position
 Catch – Hands move sideways into a wide “Y” position with pinky fingers leading the way, then
anchor themselves in the water
 Press – Elbows bend so that the forearm is in a vertical position (perpendicular to the surface of
the water) and hands sweep towards each other with the thumb leading the way (as if the palms
were running along the inside of two large bowls)
 Finish – Hands nearly touch each other under the chin and then, without hesitation, move
forward naturally as the breath occurs
 Recovery – Hands quickly extend into a streamline
Breaststroke—Breathing
 The breath occurs when the hands are coming together under the chest during the in-sweep
portion of the pull, not during any portion of the out-sweep (which characterized by a continuous
head down position).